Survey: How much money does all grain save vs. mini mash kits.

[mrbeachroach]

Hello all. I'm trying to wrap my mind around
The cost efficiency of all grain brewing.

Currently most of the 5 gallon batches I brew on a mini mash kit cost me around $40-$55

Can you guys give me an idea of how much all grain cost for a 5 gallon batch?

A 10 gallon batch?

And 15 gallon batch?

Does it get cheaper the more quantity you brew with all grain per gallon?

All help is much appreciated.

 

[waldoar15]

I never bothered to break it out. 10lbs of base malt runs around $10, more or less depending on type.
Buying 50lb sacks can cut that, again depending on type. Then figure any specialty grain, hops, yeast.

It's always cheaper than kit beers unless someone is having a blowout sale somewhere on them.

Don't forget to factor in time. AG brews are somewhere around 3-4 hours for me.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

It doesn't get any cheaper going to 10 or 15 gallons compared to 5. You have to increase everything the same amount.

 

[Lefou]

I started out doing extracts and moved over to all grain. Since I'm the only one in my household who drinks beer, batches are typically 5 gallons or less.
If you itemize ingredients (grain, hops, water, yeast, adjuncts) you will find a cost basis quickly. Some items may cost more than others if bought retail, and some may require an investment of money and time.

In my case, liquid yeast is the most expensive single item. LBHS grain typically runs $1/lb - or more when using imported specialty malts. I don't have a reverse osmosis water filter and don't trust filtered Jersey tap water, so I buy soft mineral water. I buy packaged pellet hops.

My next brew will be a session Belgian pale ale, batch size of about 4.5 gallons.
Just yesterday, eight pounds of grain, one ounce of YCH Saaz hops, and one packet of WLP500 yeast cost me $26.70 plus tax. Adding in water at $5.20 per 6 gallons makes a grand total of about $31. I am using Maris Otter, Belgian aromatic, and white wheat. Normally my brews run under $30 per batch. The yeast (plus tax) was almost one-third of the purchase price, almost one-quarter if you add the water to the total.
If I re-use yeast for multiple brews I can reduce the price of my next batch substantially.

My LBHS charges anywhere between $26 and $87 for all grain 5 gallon kits, light lager to imperial stout ... now compare that to a typical craft 6 pack that runs about $10-$12 local and you will see the difference on volume alone.

 

[ncbrewer]

I'll compare APA costs to have a fair comparison. When I was doing all-grain, it cost about $18 for 5 gallons. The equivalent extract batch costs about $29. Using tap water. New packet of dry yeast. (Not a mini-mash comparison, but it might help)

 

[waldoar15]

You have to figure in propane costs too (which will be higher due to larger water volumes) unless you're set up for electric brewing. I usually get 2 1/2 5 gallon brews out of a 20lb tank @ $20.

In many parts of the country it's probably cheaper to go electric once you pay for the equipment.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

I just made the transition to natural gas for outdoor brewing.

The valve for the burner to convert was about $10, another $30 for gas piping and shutoff valve, $20 for a siding block and outdoor cover, and $50 for the quick disconnect and 10’ gas hose.

I used to keep 3 20# propane tanks on hand, hate running out of propane mid brew. Got tired of the hassle and expense of propane.

If you do not the necessary equipment for all grain, you will need to factor that in to over all cost.

 

[Transamguy77]

I have bought all of my ingredients in bulk since day 1 of all grain brewing, most of my 5 gallon batches were less than $20. Now brewing 10 gallon batches most are about $40 plus or minus $5, depends on if I reuse yeast or how many ounces of hops I use.

As far as bulk goes I buy my grain by the sack, hops by the pound and even specialty grains I buy in 10lb snacks usually (usually cheaper than the by the pound price).

That does not include the price of propane, 5 gallon batches I could get about 5 BIAB 5 gallon brews and 2-3 10 gallon brews, depends on the outside and ground water temps.

 

[jalc6927]

Above and beyond the ingredients is the cost of equipment which can vary greatly

If you are wise you’ll make up the equipment cost over time

If I could do it again I’d have gone straight from extract to BIAB with an electric automated System like brew boss and let the 3 kettle or mash tun systems behind

 

[mrbeachroach]

I have bought all of my ingredients in bulk since day 1 of all grain brewing, most of my 5 gallon batches were less than $20. Now brewing 10 gallon batches most are about $40 plus or minus $5, depends on if I reuse yeast or how many ounces of hops I use.

.

How do you reuse Yeast?

 

[Transamguy77]

How do you reuse Yeast?

Washing yeast is one way or just reusing it right after kegging, just dump new batch right on top.

I used to wash my yeast pretty consistently and it would keep in the fridge for up to a year so I had a pretty good yeast bank until I moved.

 

[Bigfly]

I checked my last few (all Grain)batches and they came in at around $30 and contained 6 to 8 oz of hops. When I did extract I usually spent $20 just on LME or DME. Spending less on malts allow you to spend more on other things. You may not save a lot but you can expand your horizons.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Honestly I find that Extract is much more expensive than All grain.
Once you get past the initial cost of equipment the per-batch cost is less.
But if you BIAB it could be less equipment.

5 gallon Batch - Here are my costs.
10lb Grain = $8.40 (50lb bag is $42 from LHBS)
4oz Hops = $2.50 - $4 (Between $10 & $16 for bulk 1lb bags depending on variety)
Yeast = $6 (LHBS)
Total = $18.40

Regarding Propane
A previous poster mentioned factoring propane costs. Here's my feeling on this.
At Tractor Supply, I can have my propane tank filled for $9.00.
Because I use an electric heat stick combined with propane, I use less propane to boil. So I can typically get about 4 or 5 batches from 1 tank of propane.
So, in all, we're looking at around $1.80 worth of propane for a batch.

10gals? Multiply that times 2.

 

[brewcat]

You have to figure in propane costs too (which will be higher due to larger water volumes) unless you're set up for electric brewing. I usually get 2 1/2 5 gallon brews out of a 20lb tank @ $20.

In many parts of the country it's probably cheaper to go electric once you pay for the equipment.

That's not very efficient. Turn your burner down or something. I can get probably 5 brews. I use 3.50-4.00 lbs of propane per brew. My burner isn't anything special.

 

[passedpawn]

Hello all. I'm trying to wrap my mind around
The cost efficiency of all grain brewing.

Currently most of the 5 gallon batches I brew on a mini mash kit cost me around $40-$55

Can you guys give me an idea of how much all grain cost for a 5 gallon batch?

A 10 gallon batch?

And 15 gallon batch?

Does it get cheaper the more quantity you brew with all grain per gallon?

All help is much appreciated.

I went through all the ways I could think of to brew on the cheap. Have a look (it's an article on this site, too long to copy here).

The Frugal Brewer

 

[mongoose33]

It all depends on where you buy your ingredients and in what bulk you buy them.

I get my grain mostly in bulk from Ritebrew; currently 2-row is 70 cents a pound in a 50-pound sack, Maris Otter is 98 cents a pound in 55-pound sacks. Other malts (crystal, wheat, etc.) are similarly inexpensive, though not that cheap.

If I brew a batch with 12# of 2-row, that's $8.40 for the malt. Add a couple or three ounces of hops, probably $4 based on what I can get from my LHBS. If I get liquid yeast, add $6.50. Dry yeast, $4.

That adds up to what, under $20? If I add some crystal malt, or Maris Otter, or other adjuncts, it bumps it up a bit.

************
Ritebrew is 3 hours away from me; I rarely go that direction though I have a friend who does, and he'll pick up an order for me. He gets some beer in return. Malt is food, no tax, and with no shipping charges, my only concern is storing bulk grain. I do it in 5-gallon buckets w/ Gamma Seal lids. Others use Vittle Vaults, or store in plastic bags in plastic tubs.

In my admittedly limited experience using extract brews, generally I'm about half of what one would pay for a kit.

Of course, there are other costs. If you buy grain in bulk, you need a mill. They can be as cheap as a Corona mill, or as expensive as a Monster Mill run by a motor. But if you're saving $20 per brew with all-grain, how long does it take to pay one of those off?

 

[mredge73]

My per brew cost is probably around $10.
But to get here requires high upfront expense, pre-planning, and storage space.
You can get bulk grain for as little as $0.60 per lb in group buys and year old bulk hops as little as $10 per lb.
Yeast can be harvested and frozen with special care. Alternately if you use a packet of dry yeast per brew it will be your biggest expense at about $3 each.

 

[kevin58]

Full disclosure; I have never used an all grain kit. For me, being able to select my own grains from the LHBS, crush my own grains and add exactly as much of them as I want outweighs any convenience or cost savings (if any) you may get from a kit.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Bulk grains
Hops by the pound
Reuse yeast

Never going to brew any cheaper than that. I think I average around $35 for 10 gallon batches.

 

[bleme]

I get my base grains from a local brewpub, 50lb bag for $30-$35 and keep 2-Row, Wheat Malt, and Maris Otter on hand. A 5 gallon batch usually runs me between $10-$15.

 

[rhys333]

I find all-grain is quite a bit cheaper than than comparable alternatives. It breaks down like this for me:

- Base malt approx $1.00/pound. A little higher for MO or wheat.
- Specialty grain purchased either online or at the LHBS at ~$1.50 or $2.50-3.00 per pound respectively.
- Hops purchased online for $15-20/pound.
- RO water at $3.00/5 gallons. I'm looking for a cheaper source.
- Yeast is free. My LHBS has a point reward system that allows me to get a free WY pack quite regularly.
- 5 lb propane take refills at $7.00. A local outlet has a sale every Wednesday.

Costs per 5.5 gallon batch typically run at around $17 for simple saison or kolsch, or $20-25 for a pale ale or speacialty malt heavy beer. It would be about $4.50 cheaper if I didn't rely on RO water.

 

[waldoar15]

Man, some of you get propane cheap. We seem to get raped around here for it.

 

[ancientmariner52]

If you are paying a flat rate for a refill, yeah, you are being robbed. Find a place that charges by the gallon or pound. If you don't, you are buying any propane left in the tank all over again.

 

[chris000]

Man, some of you get propane cheap. We seem to get raped around here for it.

before you compare you need to know if someone charges you per "fill" or actually by the lbs. the cheapest place around here fills less than the others, so in the end it's a wash, you just go there more often...

 

[chris000]

all grain - material costs are way less than kits, but it requires more equipment (anything from BIAB to a 3 tier system) and more time/work.
however, that is where where larger batch sizes start to make sense. all you need to do is wait a bit longer for the liquor/wort to heat up and lautering, roughly same amount of cleaning - but in the end double the beer (again cost for additional/larger equipment vary on the solution you choose).
in the end, the answer to the OPs question is how much is your time worth and if you can make use of larger batch quantities in the first place.

 

[ilv4xn]

A 10 gal batch costs me about $40-$50 depending on what I make. If I keg and brew On The same day and can pitch on the yeast cake it drops to $25-$35 per 10gal

 

[Bobby_M]

The easy way to say it is that all grain ingredient costs, limited only by the fermentables, is about half the cost of extract. Many people are jumping right to bulk ingredient purchases etc but that's not quite what you asked.

An extract kit that has 8 LBS of DME (7.6% ABV) has about $32 worth of DME at my prices.
The same kit in all grain would have 13 pounds of grain at $14.30.

If you want to compare grain to extract, you can also say that you can buy DME in 50 LB bulk bags and dole out as necessary and that would compare to buying 50/55lb sacks of grain but that also requires having a mill.

Of course as other mentioned, you will spend some more time with grain, at least an hour more and you will need to spend more on the energy to heat up about twice as much water.

When you scale up to bigger batch sizes, almost every cost scales up linearly except for fuel and time. Those scale up at a much smaller rate.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Man, some of you get propane cheap. We seem to get raped around here for it.

If you can find a place that fills tanks, the cost is almost cut in half vs tank exchange.

I usually go to Tractor Supply or Ace Hardware.
Take any tank that’s in date and they’ll fill it up.
And... they FILL it. The exchange tanks are typically only partially full so you are getting ripped off.

I usually walk out paying less than $9 for a full tank.
When I get to the register they take a little off the top to account for the blowoff that didn’t end up in my tank. I think my last fill was $8.87.

 

[MaryB]

$14 for a full tank refill here but if I only do a half they often toss it in free(I am a part of the co-op so it saves me money plus I get a check for profit sharing every 6 months). I only buy grain in bulk except for a few specialty crystal malts(there usually 10 pounds at a time) where I use under a pounds for an 11 gallon batch(Why 11? It fills a corny to the gas port when I split it). Rough guess is 30-40% less than a mini mash. Having the bulk grains means I can change up a recipe, create a new one etc as I want.

 

[GnenieGone]

I dont look at AG vs Mini mash to save money. I look at home brew vs retail. Makes you feel better about the hobby.

You'll save a few bucks on grain, depending on you're efficiencies, but bigger savings is with buying bulk hops for IPAs (8oz or 1lbs) and harvesting yest especially with some yeast up in the $8-$10 range these days.

A retail fruit sour or BA Imperial stout can run $500 or more for 5 gallons. We HBers can do the same (hb equivalent) for less then $70. That's the true savings.

 

[MplsUgly]

The ingredients to make an 11 gallon batch of 1.060 OG IPA just cost me $55. This also included 16 oz of hops that is more than I need. One smack pack of yeast as I was also using some other yeast that I had.

If you wanted to make a cheap batch you should use dry yeast and you would be around $40-$50 per 11 gal batch.

Less grain, fewer hops = less money. I've made a 1.040 golden ale for $30 per batch.